Angle socket for electric lamps



Oct. 13, 1953 R. G. Goni-REY ET AL 2,655,637

ANGLE SOCKET FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS Filed Dec. 28, 1951 Inventovs'. Frank JKrajciK, Qovwald ont il I l Their Atto l:

Patented Oct. 13, 1953 ANGLE SOCKET FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS Ronald G. Godfrey, Southport, and Frank J.

Krajcik, Bridgeport, Conn., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 28, 1951, Serial No. 263,753

Claims. (Cl. 339-7) This invention relates to an improved angle socket, more particularly this invention relates to an electric adapter having a circuit connec+- ing device at one end and a variable angle lamp socket at the other end; still more particularly this invention relates to that particular type electrical adapter having a male lamp base at one end and a female screw-shell or bulb receiving socket at the other end. The two ends of the angle socket are so interconnected that the screw-shell end may be tilted relative to the lamp base end while, simultaneously, the angle socket may be rotated about an axis through the lamp base end thereby permitting a lamp bulb inserted in the screw-shell, to be pointed at substantially any angle in one hemisphere.

Angle sockets, in a conventional embodiment, have two members interconnected by a ball and socket joint of some sort to permit the freedom of movement required and flexible electrical conductors are employed to electrically interconnect the lamp base end and the screw-shell end. The expense of this type construction is relatively high due to the difficulty of inserting theflexible conductors into the angle socket parts. Furthermore, such angle sockets are not as durable as desired since the llexible electricalconductors usually break as a result of bending.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an angle socket made without flexible conductors.

It is a further object of this invention to provide wireless angle sockets wherein the parts of the angle socket are held together by the electrical conductors.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved angle socket which is simple in construction and positive in function.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent and the invention will be more clearly understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawing, and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

Briefly, in accordance with a preferred illustrated embodiment of this invention, the foregoing objects are attained by providing a pair of cooperating hinged together housing elements formed from insulating material. A screw-shell contact and center contact for a lamp base end are positioned in one of the elements while a screw-shell contact and center contact or other means for connecting to a power source are provided on the other element. The contacts are interconnected by hinged strip conductors which serve the dual function of providing mechanical support and an electrical circuit.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a front elevation of my improved angle socket showing substantially the limit of movement in one plane; Fig. 2 is a bottom elevation of the angle socket of Fig. l showing substantially the limit of rotation about the longitudinal axis of the angle socket; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the angle socket shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an end view through the plane .2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the angle socket taken at 9i) degrees from that shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an end View, partly in section through plane xof Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 7 is an end View, partly in section, taken through the plane y-y of Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, angle socket l is shown as comprising an upper element 2 and a lower element 3 hingedly interconnected to provide forthe tilting of the lower element relative to the upper element.

Upper element 2 is somewhat hollow and it is made `of insulating material which might be porcelain or any of the urea Vor phenolic resins. A cup-shaped male screw thread member or lamp base is positioned over one end of the upper socket element 2. Lamp base 4 is secured to the end of lamp socket element 2 by means of an insulating button 5 which in turn is spring biased towards upper element 2 by a rivet or bolt 6" placed under tension by spring 1. A washer 8 or other suitable device is placed under the outer or contact end 9 of bolt 6 to secure it to button 5 and upper socket element 2. Con tact end 9, of course, is adapted to engage the center contact element of a lamp socket, while the cup-shaped member il engages the comple mentary threads of the lamp socket to electrically connect the angle socket in an electric circuit.

A conductor arm l0 has a portion rlocated under the opposite end of bolt 6 which portion is biased into electrical and mechanical contact with bolt v6 by the spring 1.

Lamp base 4 includes a portion Il lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the upper element 2. Portion Il is positioned to be connected to a conductor arm l2 which is somewhat similar to conductor arm I0 in that they are both made of electrically conducting material and in that their lower ends terminate in the same plane. Conductor arm I2 has a contacting portion I3 lying in a plane juxtapositioned with portion II thereby electrically engaging the lamp base 4.

The relationship between the upper element 2 and lamp base 4, as particularly shown in Fig. 5, is such that spring 1 biases the upper element 2 resiliently into engagement with the portion II of lamp base 4. This resilient interrelationship permits upper element 2 to be rotated relative to lamp base 4 about the axis of bolt 6. Accordingly, when button 5, bolt 6, and screw-shell 4 are held stationary by being positioned in a lamp socket, for example, upper element 2 may be turned about its longitudinal axis relatively to them, turning on bolt 6 as an axis and within screw-shell 4. This is permitted by reason of the fact that upper element 2 is yieldingly held by spring 1. Conductor arms I and I2 turn with upper element 2.

With this construction, however, due to the movement of upper element 2 relative to lamp base 4, the angle socket could neither be inserted into a lamp socket, nor could it be removed therefrom unless some stop means were provided for limiting the movement of upper element 2 relative to the lamp base 4. This stop means is provided by the contacting portion I3 of conductor arm I2 which engages a downwardly projecting detent I4 which is formed in portion I I of lamp bese 4. In Fig. 6, the contacting portion I3 is shown in dotted outline at the limit of its rctation in either direction; that is, upper element 2 and contacting portion I3 can be rotated from the position shown at I5 counterclockwise about stud 6 almost 360 degrees to the position shown at I6. In either of these two positions rotation is stopped by contacting portion I3 engaging the detent I4. Accordingly, by rotating the upper element 2 clockwise until contacting portion I3 reaches the position I6, the lamp base 4 can be threaded into a socket screw-shell. Conversely, lamp base 4 can be disconnected from a socket screw-shell by rotating upper element 2 counterclockwise with the contacting portion I3 in the position I5.

The lower element 3, of the angle socket is also made of seme insulating material such as porcelain or a urea or phenolic resin and in the illustrated embodiment it is cylindrically shaped to house a female screw-shell element I8 in one open end and to intert with the upper element 2 at its other open end. The structure then is such that the lower element 3 appears to be in a ball and socket joint type engagement with the upper element 2 but actually there is no mechanical interlocking between the two elements. The upper and lower elements are hingedly interconnected by conductor arms I9 and 2i), which are connected respectively by rivets II and I'Ia with spring washers IIb to the conductor arms I0 and I2. With this structure the upper and lower elements are electrically and mechanically interconnected and the lower element 3 can be rotated as shown in Fig. 3 clockwise about rivets I'I and Ila to the dotted-line position wherein the lower element 3 is pointing substantially toward the top of the page.

To secure lower element 3 to arms I9, 20, arm I9 is provided with a threaded bore 2I for engaging a screw 22 which is passed through the dividing wall 23 in lower element 3. Screw 22 also fastens one end of a resilient electrically conducting center contact 24 to the arm I3.

Arm 2E), as shown particularly in Fig. 7, has a pair of U-shaped arms 25 and 25 extending perpendiculr rly away therefrom to lie against the dividing wall 23. Arms 25 and 26 have threaded bores 21 and 28 respectively, and the arms are held into engagement with dividing wall 23 by screws 29 and 30. As shown in Fig. 3 the screws 29, 30 mechanically hold screw-shell I8 against the dividing wall 23 and electrically connect it to arm 20.

The structure of the arms I9 and 20 relative to the upper element 2 is shown in some detail in Fig. 4; that is, the upper element 2 is slotted as at 3l, 32 to permit the arms I9 and 20 to be rotated through these slots to the position shown in dotted outline in Fig. 3.

For the assembly of the angle socket, arms I0, I9 and I2, 20 are irst assembled with rivets II and lia along with spring washers Hb. Contact arm I2, 20 is positioned in upper element 2. Contact arm I0, IS with bolt S and spring 'I is pcsitioned in upper element 2. Lamp base 4, button 5, and washer `S are positioned on bolt 6 and against upper element 2. Bolt 6 is headed over to form contact head 9 completing the upper element assembly.

Lower element 23 is positioned against contact arms I9 and 2U. Center Contact 24 and screw 22 are :ssembled to contact arm I9. Screw-shell element IB and screws 29 and 30 are assembled to Contact arm 2U, thus completing the angle socket assembly.

Referring again to the drawings and particularly Figs. l and 2, the new angle socket I is shown supported in a ceiling fixture 33 which is suspended from a ceiling or wall and has within it a female screw-shell which engages the lamp base 4 secured to upper element 2.

This new angle socket is an improvement over prior art devices in that there are no wires within it and in that upper and lower elements of the socket are mechanically and electrically interconnected by the seme elements, thereby eliminating costly ball and socket joint interlocking relationships between upper and lower elements of angle sockets.

Modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art and it is desired to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed but rather it is intended to cover all modiiications which are within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What we claim as new :nd desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. An angle lamp socket comprising an upper hollow socket element formed from insulating material and having an end wall, a button of insulating material positioned agr inst said end wall, means forming a contact element having a flange positioned between the button and the said end wall, means forming a contact element comprising a bolt which extends axially through openings in said button and end wall, a spring which engages the bolt and said end wall for yieldingly holding together said socket element and button with said flange gripped between them, a conducting arm in the hollow socket element having an end which slidably engages said flange, a conducting arm in the hollow socket element having en end pivotally connected to said bolt, whereby when said button, bolt and first named contact element are held stationary said upper socket element and conducting arms may be turned as a unit about said bolt as an axis, and a lower socket element having conducting arms, the ends of which are pivotally connected to the ends of said first named conducting arms.

2. An angle lamp socket as defined by claim 1 wherein the pivotal connections between said conducting arms form the sole means supporting the lower socket element on the upper socket element.

3. An angle lamp socket comprising an upper hollow socket element formed from insulating material and having an end wall, a button of insulating material positioned against said end Wall, a screw-shell surrounding an end of said socket element having an annular flange positioned between said end wall and said button, a bolt which extends axially through openings in said bu-tton and said end wall having a head on its outer end which forms a center contact and a head on its inner end, a spring positioned between said last named head and said end wall for yieldingly holding said button against said end wall with said flange gripped between them,

a conducting arm within and at one side of saidA socket element having a, contact end which slidably engages said flanges, a conducting arm Within and at the opposite side of said socket elelment having an end pivoted on said bolt, whereby when said button, screw-shell and bolt are held stationary said hollow socket element and the conducting arms may be |turned as a unit relatively thereto, and a lower socket element having conducting arms connected to said first named conducting arms.

4. An angle lamp socket as defined by claim 3 wherein the screw-shell flange is provided with 6 a detent adapted to be engaged by said con-tact end whereby said screw-shell and flange may be rotated by turning the upper socket element.

5. An angle lamp socket comprising an upper hollow socket element of insulating material having an end wall, a button of insulating material positioned against said end wall, means forming a contact element having a flange positioned between said end wall and said button, spring means which yieldingly holds said button and end wall together with said flange gripped between them, a second contact element carried by said button, two conducting arms in said socket element positioned adjacent 'opposite sides of such element, said arms engaging said flange and said second contact element respectively and being rotatably movable relatively thereto about the longitudinal axis of the socket element whereby when said button and contact elements are held stationary said socket element and conducting arms may be rotated as a unit relatively thereto, and a lower socket element having two conducting arms pivotally connected to said rst named conducting arms.

RONALD G. GODFREY. FRANK J. KRAJCIK.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,038,070 Benjamin Sept. 10, 1912 2,134,355 Caldwell Oct. 25, 1938 2,231,565 De Reamex' Feb. 11, 1941 

